My Take On Fifty Shades

There’s quite a bit of controversy surrounding this book and the upcoming movie.

Why was it so extraordinary?

There are plenty of erotic novels out there. There’s a plethora of porn on the Internet. People just happened to be really into this one. Or really, really offended by it.

I’ve seen a few articles against this particular series. Articles trying to keep one’s daughter away from the filth. Save all of the young girls from such horrible books! And Please, keep them away from the movie!!

I’d just like to say a big freaking “no duh!” Let’s pretend for a second my daughter is a teenager. I’m also not going to let her drink, smoke, or gamble. Because she would be too young.

However, I’m not going to judge those that liked it. And I certainly won’t try to make them feel guilty for wanting to watch the movie.

Yes. I read it. All three books. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

In my opinion, each one was a train wreck. Aside from the atrocious writing, the story constantly made me roll my eyes.

What’s more, it takes place in Seattle. A place I happen to know well, considering I live there.

The writer has never set foot in my city, and it shows. It’s so obvious, it’s painful. Names of locations are wrong, descriptions are hit or miss.

The content is what you would expect from a porn novel. Cheesy fantasies from both sides.

From the man’s perspective, all the crazy, dominating sex he could want.

From the woman’s point of view, amazing sex and an incredibly hot, successful, rich man that wants to take care of her. (I understand that not every man and woman wants these particular things. I’m just saying these books caters to those that do, and it ended up being wildly popular.)

What concerns me more about the relationship portrayed in this series is the male character’s behavior outside of the bedroom.

He’s possessive and jealous to an unhealthy extreme. In my opinion, this is more disconcerting for my daughter. This type of power play is not ok in any type of relationship. It’s one thing to role-play dominance in the bedroom, but there is no place for it in real life. Equality and respect are of utmost importance in a relationship.

What happens in the bedroom isn’t a concern to me. As long as they are consenting adults.

So, am I going to let my daughter read it (remember, we’re pretending she’s a teenager)?

Well, I’m not going to allow her to watch R-rated movies or drink coffee until she’s ready, why would an adult book be any different? The author wrote this series with a specific demographic in mind and young women are not it.

So the answer is No. It’s not appropriate for a young, impressionable girl.

But if you’d like to get into it, I also don’t think V.C. Andrews would be appropriate for my girl. If you were to look for those books, you would find them in the “young adult” section. I read some of them when I was a “young adult” (14 to be exact), and they were absolutely not appropriate. The stories fit the age, but the sex involved certainly does not.

I’m not comparing Ms. Andrew’s books to Fifty Shades exactly. My point is, if there is something I don’t think my kids are ready for, then I will do everything in my power to keep it from them.

There are so many things out there to protect our children from. All I can hope for is when my daughter is “of age” (18 years old-at least in the states), that she’s mature enough to understand the difference between an exaggerated story, and what’s appropriate in real life.

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